Nanyang Polytechnic
Nanyang Polytechnic (Abbreviation: NYP) is a polytechnic located in the precinct of Yio Chu Kang in the town of Ang Mo Kio, Singapore. As an industry-oriented alternative to a broader based junior college education, polytechnic graduates in Singapore are sought after for work or many continue to complete university degrees. In contrast to polytechnics in the United States and UK, polytechnics in Singapore admit majority of its students after secondary school which is after 10 years of formal education. Diplomas in a specialised area of study, for example Biomedical Science, are awarded after completing 3 years of studies. History Nanyang Polytechnic was established on 1 April 1992, and enrolled its first batch of students for its School of Health Sciences and School of Business Management in July 1992. The School of Engineering and the School of Information Technology was opened in July 1993. The French-Singapore Institute, German-Singapore Institute and the Japan-Singapore Institute were transferred from the Economic Development Board to the Polytechnic in February 1993. It originally operated from five temporary campuses (Bukit Merah: School of Business; Jurong: School of Engineering; Outram: School of Nursing; Tiong Bahru: School of Business; Yishun: School of Engineering, School of Information Technology) before moving to its permanent home in Ang Mo Kio in April 1998. The School of Design and School of Chemical and Life Sciences was set up in November 2000, followed by the School of Interactive and Digital Media in November 2006. Mr Chan Lee Mun took over as Principal and CEO in August 2007; Mr Lin Cheng Ton went on to head NYP International. Ms Jeanne Liew took over as Principal and CEO in July 2015. Campus Spread over 305,000 square metres of land (about the size of 60 football fields), Nanyang Polytechnic is situated next to the Yio Chu Kang MRT Station. The institution houses 14 administration blocks, three blocks for recreational and student development purposes and three blocks for staff accommodation. The campus is modelled on a town-centre concept to provide the conveniences of a self-contained "Teaching and Learning City". Facilities include a fully computerised library, laboratories, a Theatre for the Arts and an auditorium. Retail outlets on campus provide a variety of academic items as well as other leisure items. Sports facilities include track and field, adventure challenge park, gym, swimming pool, tennis court and rock-climbing walls. Badminton, table tennis, basketball and ping pong are available in the air-conditioned sports hall. An Olympic-sized swimming pool is located beside the sport hall. Supporting centres ' Foreign Language Centre ' The Foreign Language Centre offers language modules to NYP students. They can choose to learn a foreign language such as French, German, Japanese, or Business Mandarin. FLC organises cultural activities, exchange programmes and overseas trips to provide the students with more exposure to the languages. Academic schools Nanyang Polytechnic has seven academic schools, offering a variety of courses. * School of Business Management (SBM) * School of Chemical & Life Sciences (SCL) * School of Design (SDN) * School of Engineering (SEG) * School of Health & Social Sciences (SHSS) * School of Information Technology (SIT) * School of Interactive & Digital Media (SIDM) School of Business Management The Nanyang Polytechnic School of Business Management (NYP SBM) simulate a modern "Teaching Enterprise" environment that is both web-centric and in tune with the latest developments in the real business world. Students have an opportunity to work in an actual business environment, supported by the Business Services Group which operates a number of businesses in the school. Students are given a solid foundation in the key business modules in the first two years, and specialised subjects in the second and final year of study. School of Chemical and Life Sciences The Nanyang Polytechnic School of Chemical and Life Sciences (NYP SCL) is in Singapore. Field trips to pharmaceutical plants and research institutes provide learning experience for the students. Under the Polytechnic's Industrial Attachment program, students can gain first-hand learning experience of the life science industry before they graduate. Opportunities for attachment to companies overseas are also available under the Overseas Industrial Placement Programme where students can gain an international perspective on Chemical & Life Sciences and be exposed to foreign cultures, work styles and economic environments. The School of Chemical & Life Sciences is headed by two directors; one looking into Life Sciences, the other into Chemical Sciences. Diploma courses under the Life Sciences division are Dip. Molecular Biotechnology, Dip. Food Science (offered since 2006), and the Dip. Pharmaceutical Sciences (offered in April 2007, with beginnings from the Pharmaceutical & Clinical Trials track under the Molecular Biotechnology programme in 2004). The only diploma course under the Chemical division is Dip. Chemical & Pharmaceutical Technology. Diploma in Chemical and Pharmaceutical Technology (Dip. CPT) prepares students in petro-chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing industries. The course does not prepare students to work in pharmacies as retail executives or pharmacy technicians. Such career prospects are only applicable to the Dip. Pharmaceutical Sciences. Rather, graduates from Dip. CPT are able to work at manufacturing plants, Jurong Island, and other petro-chemical industries. School of Design The Nanyang Polytechnic School of Design (NYP SDN) in Singapore is a technical school providing training in industrial design, space and interior design and visual communications. School of Information Technology The Nanyang Polytechnic School of Information Technology (NYP SIT) is one of the founding schools of Nanyang Polytechnic and started in July 1993. The current director of the school is Mr Daniel Wee. The school currently offers 6 full time diplomas and many lifelong learning courses. Centre for IT Innovation The Centre for IT Innovation (CITI)http://www.nyp.edu.sg/schools/sit/centre-for-it-innovation.html in Nanyang Polytechnic, School of Information Technology, was established as a platform to provide an impetus towards several key objectives. These objectives focused on CITI as a launch pad for major industrial collaborations and cutting edge R & D projects. Academic matters Students are awarded a Diploma in their field after completing the course. The minimum length for courses is between three and two years. Graduating students have the option of joining the workforce or to continue education in local/overseas universities. Diplomas with Merit are awarded to students with outstanding performance during their course of study. In 2008, the polytechnic began a new recognition system (the Director's List) for students who excel academically. Co-curricular activities Nanyang Polytechnic has over 50 co-curricular activities. including Arts & Cultural clubs, Sports clubs, a Students' Union and Academic Clubs. Milestones As an organisation, NYP has won many awards and recognitions. This includes: * 2012 - Work-Life Achiever Award * 2011 - Singapore Quality Award * 2010 - Public Service Achievement Award * 2009 - Innovation Excellence Award * 2009 - SHRI Leading HR Practices in E-Human Resource Management Award * 2009 - Hewitt Best Employer Award http://was2.hewitt.com/bestemployers/asia/english/hewitt_be_singapore2009.htm * 2005 - BCA Green Mark Platinum Award * 2004 - ASEAN Energy Efficiency and Conservation Best Practices Competition (Top Award in New and Existing Building category) * 2001 - ISO9001:2000 Certification * 2000 - ISO9001 Certification * 1999 - ISO14001 Certification * 1996 - ISO9002 Certification Student achievements NYP has many students who have achieved successes on both a national and international level. Some accolades include: * 2013 - WorldSkills Leipzig (2 golds, 3 Medallion for Excellences) * 2012 - FIRA RoboWorld Cup (7 Gold, 3 Silver and 2 Bronze,World Record for 6-metre sprint) * 2012 - Champions at SLA Spatial Challenge 2012 * 2012 - WorldSkills Singapore (21 Medals) * 2012 - 7 awards at Tan Kah Kee Young Inventors' Award * 2012 - National InfoComm Competition Champions * 2010 - WorldSkills Global (Two Golds, one Bronze and three Medallions for Excellence.) Notable alumni * Hariss Harun - Singapore national footballer * Romeo Tan - Singapore actor * Carrie Wong - Singapore actress * Lionel Lewis - Singapore national goalkeeper * Vanessa Peh - Miss Singapore World 2018 * Anupama Aura Gurung - Miss Nepal Earth 2011 References